Who Am I?
by NejiKikyoAnimeRose
Summary: Plot bunny #441. "Neji gets separated from his team ona mission and loses his memories. Orochimaru finds him." Shounen ai. ShikaNeji
1. Amnesia

The rain fell mercilessly upon the shinobi in thick icy sheets. The wind whipped just as hard. It didn't help that it was going against the shinobi, pushing them back and delaying them; holding them up. Even the Hyuuga's Byakugan was slightly hindered by this. After all, what good was enhanced sight if one's eyes could barely be kept open to see? Neji scoffed to himself and put his hand to his eyes, shielding them, and stopped for a moment. Beside him, Lee and Tenten ceased their movements as well, waiting for some sort of report from him. Quickly Neji activated his Byakugan and turned his head from side to side, investigating questionable objects and creatures.

"There's nothing keeping us from moving forward at this point except this weather," he growled, keeping his hand in front of his face, tasting a mouthful of rain and wind as he spoke. He turned to Tenten and she nodded, her arm hiding her face, the white sleeve that covered it blowing in the wind. Some strands of her hair had escaped from the usually neat buns on top of her head and one of her eyes was clenched shut, the other as close to it as possible without actually being so. Neji's eyes swiveled to Lee, his Chuunin jacket over his green jumpsuit whipping back. His eyes were open and Neji suspected that his thick eyebrows made this possible. His teeth were clenched and an arm was up, a fist clenched, in front of his face.

"How close are we?" he shouted above the rain and wind. Neji looked forward. He scowled.

"I can't see it," he yelled back. "We must be a very far ways away from it. I can't see anything much that might hint at any sort of residency. Just forest!" Lee growled slightly out of frustration, and Tenten swore. They had been at it for two days now. Their destination was Kirigakure, and unfortunately, the storm they had been trying to avoid had caught up to them and now they were stuck in the middle of it. They should have arrived after two days, but the storm had greatly slowed their progress and didn't show any signs of letting up. Neji was debating about whether or not to stop, but there was no place he could find even with the Byakugan that would provide sufficient shelter for the three of them. With that in mind, he had begrudgingly kept moving, with them right at his heels.

"Neji, I can't take this anymore!" Tenten shouted from somewhere beside him. "Please, let's just stop! We can all handle this better if we just move as far out of the storm's way as possible!" Neji stopped and considered this. It made sense. But at the same time it didn't. On top of his team members' safety, Neji, as the leader of this mission, was charged with the successful completion of it, and already one half day had been wasted. This was a simple surveillance mission but they needed all the time they could get. It was against Neji's priorities to shirk on missions, after all. His humane instincts told him to get the hell out of that storm and find somewhere safer, but his shinobi instincts ordered him otherwise. And those were the instincts that always won out.

"We'll continue for a while longer, Tenten!" Neji shouted firmly. "When we can't see one foot in front of us, we'll stop!" Tenten grumbled angrily to herself and rolled her eyes, aware that Neji's Byakugan allowed him to see her doing this. Neji sighed, annoyed. This was not going well at all.

And it was made worse by the fact that the Hyuuga did not recognize that they were being pursued until the enemy shinobi actually attacked. And that made him angry.

"Tenten! Lee!" he cried. "On your guard! We're being attacked!" Lee and Tenten were immediately at ready position. But they were at a disadvantage. Their opponents were missing Mist nins. They could use the rain and wind, while Neji, Lee and Tenten were handicapped by it. That wouldn't stop them, though. They were, after all two Chuunin and a Jounin. Not easy to beat.

They sprang into action. Neji soon discovered that their opponents were only two missing shinobi. Simple to overcome, the only problem being the weather. Neji took on the one his Byakugan informed him to be the strongest while Lee and Tenten fought the other. Their whereabouts, though far from being lost to him, were not taken into consideration as Neji fought his enemy. Maybe that was why he ended up in a very bad situation.

The Mist ninja, though outnumbered, were exceeding Neji's expectations. He pushed back a slight feeling of panic as the enemy nin evaded yet another of his blows. He countered quickly, but the Hyuuga blocked it deftly. He was forced to jump up and backwards, though, as an attack he did not see came at him from what seemed like nowhere. Neji didn't realize exactly where he was landing and thus didn't know that it was right in the midst of Lee and Tenten's fight with the other shinobi. At least he didn't know until he became subject to an attack meant for Lee.

"Neji, what are you doing!?" Tenten shrieked. Neji ignored her and whirled to face the offending ninja. He effortlessly stopped the attack and then watched as his eyes saw the centripetal force of the unfamiliar chakra move away swiftly. He followed it with his eyes and informed Lee and Tenten of its whereabouts. His teammates didn't hesitate. They were after the ninja in moments, careful, though to maintain knowledge of Neji's location and condition.

The Hyuuga, thereafter, returned to his fight with the other shinobi. But he wasn't doing very well. On the contrary, he was doing worse than before. And that was unusual. He suffered blow after blow, but they felt slightly distant. As though he were a third party witnessing the display and not actually there. And it was then that he realized…_Genjutsu!_

As quick as he could, Neji performed a series of seals and felt the spell upon him lift, and he wondered how much of the fight had been an illusion. His head whipped around, seeking out his companions, finding that they were still fighting. He himself was on the ground, rain mingling with sweat, his hair stained with the brown mud. He pushed himself up and moved to the fight. He inwardly sighed, understanding that he might have to use his Jyuuken abilities. Perhaps the Hakke Rokujuyon Sho, if the battle prolonged further. He had hoped, though to save his chakra as best he could.

Deftly, silently, as was a shinobi's skill, Neji slipped behind one of the Mist nin. His Byakugan was still activated and he sought out the chakra points that would cripple him the most were they dealt damage. Finding them quickly, he attacked, driving his palm into the man's back and releasing a large amount of his own chakra into the other, damaging the flow slightly. He heard the man choke and saw him stumble. Swiftly, the Hyuuga moved around to the man's side and dealt another blow. This one, fatal. The man tried to breath in, stopped, spluttered and fell to the ground. His comrade, angered, attacked Neji. The Hyuuga was ready though, and now he fought alongside Lee and Tenten. The nin was clearly no match for the three of them; two Chuunin and a Jounin; but he didn't stop his angry attacks.

Shouting furiously and driven by animosity and anger, despite the fact that emotions were never to be shown by shinobi, the missing Mist shinobi attacked mercilessly, suffering blow after blow.

Finally, when he saw that victory was never going to be achieved, the man turned to his final resort; his trump card; his ace in the hole. He made a series of signs and released the one thing that could never really be prevented. Kekke Genkai. That was one thing none of the Leaf nin expected. A missing nin with a kekke genkai? They had never heard of any such thing, with the exception of Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi. Neji didn't know how to react and it cost him dearly.

He felt his slip on reality slacken and his mind went slowly blank. He heard Tenten's furious shouts at him to get a hold of himself. He heard a sound and heard Lee shout at him in panicked and angered confusion. He couldn't stop himself, though. He had no control over anything anymore. And he felt everything around him going dark. He heard his teammates shout. He heard Rock L—

Rock who? Who was the one shouting at him? There was someone else, as well. Someone whose name he remembered began with a 'T,' but he couldn't remember anything else about them. Maybe they were female. Their voice was incredibly high and feminine.

What was going on? Who was he fighting? Why was he fighting? Hell was he even fighting? He couldn't remember. His mind went slowly dark and his ears popped. His eyes—well he didn't know what his eyes were doing. He couldn't keep track of his body anymore. He only watched from the side for a few more moments, before he lost track of everything and blacked out…

* * *

Somewhere around him, he heard a sound. A chirp. A soft cooing in his ear. He felt something tickle his cheek. He felt something blow across his face. His eyes were closed and he couldn't open them. What was going on?

Neji finally managed to separate his eye lids so he could see. A soft blurry green world came into focus. His body began functioning again and he realized that something was sitting on him. He slowly and painfully moved his head slightly to the side. A bird; a small red bird sat on his shoulder, preening itself. Neji's breath hitched in his throat as he watched the bird. He didn't know why but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off the beautiful serene creature. It seemed to demand his attention.

He tried to smile and he flinched. It hurt. Why did it hurt? What had he done to make it hurt? Slowly, Neji pushed himself up, the pain that came from doing so half drowned by the confusion that welled up within him. The bird, its calm tranquility now disturbed, flew away. Neji didn't notice. He thought back. He thought hard. Then he thought harder. Then he thought hardest. He only remembered…nothing. He remembered nothing. His mind was blank. He tried looking back but didn't see anything in his mind's eye. _Wha—Why?_ He thought confusedly. His eyes widened and he quickly but clumsily stood.

His eyes, still wide, darted this way and that as he looked frantically around, trying to find one trace of anything familiar. He could find nothing. Nothing in the small rose bushes that were scattered here and there. Nothing in the trees, ever silent and watchful. Nothing in the rain drops and dew clinging to grass and leaves. Nothing in anything, no matter how hard he looked.

"Damn, why can't I remember!?"

* * *

Lee and Tenten were distraught. They were beside themselves. What had that Mist bastard done to Neji!? One moment he was on his knees, and the next he was manipulating Neji; forcing the Jounin to attack them! How the hell had that happened!?

And now, Neji was run off, and they had no idea where he was, or even if he was alive!

"Lee, we've got to do something!" Tenten said, voice raised and higher than normal. Lee was looking around frantically, all vigor and enthusiasm lost, to be replaced with worry and anxiety. He knew she was right. He knew they had to do something. Neji's life could be at stake. The mission was already lost.

Lee's eyes widened and he froze, struck with inspiration.

"Tenten!" he said urgently. She whipped around to face him, eyes wide with anticipation and impatience.

"What?" she said, her tone just as urgent. Lee looked hard at her.

"You go back to Konoha and alert the Hokage of this…incident," he said. "I will continue on the mission. It is, after all a simple surveillance mission and one shinobi is enough to complete it." Tenten looked at him, thinking the possibility over. Finally, it seemed, she decided that there was no other logical course of action, and agreed.

Swiftly as she could, the kunoichi turned and hurried off, as fast as she could go. Lee watched her for a moment, until he no longer felt her chakra presence before turning on his heel and speeding off towards Kirigakure as fast as he could, which just happened to be faster than anyone in Konoha.

_Neji…you'd better be alright._

* * *

Neji wandered aimlessly about the forest, unsure of anything. Unsure of himself, his existence and the existence around him. It was just confusing.

Neji stopped as he entered a different part of the forest, this part, somewhat more _eerie _than the rest of the forest.

But it was unfamiliar, so Neji didn't hesitate to stray into the rather frightening section of the woods. He wasn't perturbed by such things. He couldn't remember a time when he had been afraid, so why should now be any different? That, the Hyuuga told himself, was reason enough to continue into the strange area. So he did. He walked on, indifferent to the frightening air about him, unknowing and not experiencing the fear that would've been building up in any other human being. Slowly, the trees thickened and the underbrush became darker, hidden from the sun as Neji walked onward.

After a while, the Hyuuga discovered something that made him believe that his efforts had not been in vain.

It was a house. A house of some sort. An incredibly traditional house that was built into the ground, it seemed. A stairway of pure white stone led down to the entrance to this house. The tiles covering the roof looked as though they were once a proud blue, but had chipped over time. The walls were stained with something that looked slightly suspicious to Neji, though he didn't know why until he approached it and realized that it was the same coppery red as dried blood. There was no door, only an entrance that led to a dark cavern that Neji seemed drawn to. It intrigued him. And repelled him. Something deep within him told him; screamed at him to get the hell away from there. But the other curious side of him struck down that voice and urged him to venture into the strange house; mansion, rather.

So he did. And what he found was interesting, to say the least. He expected a place as upper crust to have some form of security. But there was nothing. Nothing and no one. At least that he could see. Perhaps there was someone hiding from sight and then perhaps there were booby traps set up and hidden.

He stopped as he reached a questionable marking on the ground. A crack of sorts. His brow creased as he looked at it. Then, something in his mind went off and one word flashed through his head. _Diversion._

His body twisted without a thought as to why and in a moment it became clear. A group of knives were flying at him, mostly likely triggered from some sort of string he'd tripped. Neji blinked, jumping out of the way of the onslaught. How had he known the secret behind the trap? How had he even known it was a trap? The Hyuuga thought confusedly, moving swiftly onward, avoiding more traps in ways he hadn't known himself to be capable of. He finally reached an unusual door and halted. It looked old and foreboding and his voice of warning was telling him to get the hell out of there while he still could, but something else told him to keep moving forward.

He continued forward, having no idea what was compelling him. The door opened under the pressure applied by his hand and he stepped cautiously inside the room beyond. He choked upon entering. His eyes were met with a horribly gruesome sight. The sight of death exploited. There were containers, liquid filled containers that held what looked like preserved human beings with some deformity or other. Some were branded with questionable marks and others had limbs replaced with those of animals, or sported unusual characteristics. Neji's eyes were frozen open and he couldn't take them away from the revolting sight before and around him.

"Well, well, it looks like a little bird has strayed from the nest," a voice somewhere behind him hissed. Neji whipped around and flinched visibly. Standing there, a ways away from the Hyuuga, but still too close in the brunette's opinion, was a man. An inhuman-like man. The pale white skin that stretched over his face looked young and tainted, but heavy, as though it held some secret that would either intrigue or frighten Neji, he wasn't sure which. His eyes were narrow and piercing. The yellow pupils bored into Neji and the Hyuuga felt strangely vulnerable. The long smooth and oily hair that fell about the man's face and shoulders made Neji think of a rose; beautiful to look at, but something one could never get close to, for fear that they would get pricked by its thorns. The man stood tall and intimidating, the smirk on his face unusually _snakelike._ From what he had seen, Neji couldn't say he liked this man very much, but first impressions, he knew somehow, were not always correct.

Politely, Neji bowed at the waist, as was traditional, he knew, when in the presence of one's elders, and thus, superiors. He straightened and spoke formally.

"Konnichiwa," he said, surprised at the smooth sound of his own voice. It sounded and felt to him as though he had never truly spoken before this moment. The man looked at him, an amused surprised expression crossing his features. His thin brow rose and his smirk twisted and grew. He looked at the Hyuuga, understanding immediately what Neji did not. He took a small slithering step towards the brunette and lifted his arms, as though marveling at Neji's appearance.

"Oh, thank kami, you've returned!" he exclaimed, his voice changing to one of a questionable relief. Neji still heard the slight hiss in the man's voice, but didn't dwell on it. Did he know this man? He tilted his head slightly to the side quizzically and looked skeptically at the man.

"I…know you?" he asked, confused. The man nodded and took another gliding step towards him, arms still outstretched.

"You ran away from me as a child," he said, sorrow cleverly laced in with the relief. "I was so distraught when you left. I thought I would never see you again." He stopped and looked at Neji, his eyes narrowing and mesmerizing. The Hyuuga's own looked on in confusion. His brow creased and his face went blank as he tried to remember anything of this. But, once again, his mind was blank. He looked to the man.

"But I…don't remember you," he said, still hesitant. The man was now right in front of Neji, looking down at him. His oily smile was the fixation of the Hyuuga's attention. He reached out and placed his hands on the Hyuuga's shoulders. Neji's first instinct was to flinch away, but he resisted the urge. He was trying to decide if the touch was familiar. Through the hands of the strange man before him he felt…something. Something he couldn't name. Something he couldn't remember. He looked into the eyes of the man before him and saw…something. Something he couldn't name. Something he couldn't remember. He opened his mouth to speak and his voice sounded slightly distant.

"Who...are you?" the Hyuuga asked. The man's smile widened, and Neji never thought for a moment that it was a smirk. He couldn't distinguish the difference between a smile and a smirk. He just cautiously returned the gesture as the man spoke.

"My name is Orochimaru," he said, his voice a small whisper. He bent over and leaned in close to Neji, his mouth right by the Hyuuga's ear. Neji tensed but fought hard to relax as this 'Orochimaru' continued speaking.

"And you trusted me and loved me more than anyone," he said slowly, his breath brushing over Neji's sensitive skin. The Hyuuga's eyes widened when he felt something warm and wet ghost over his ear. Orochimaru pulled away and smiled at Neji and the Hyuuga looked back at him, confused.

"I-I did?" he stuttered quietly. Orochimaru nodded, pulling Neji into his embrace and breathed into him, "I missed you, my Kami."

* * *

_Almost there…_ Tenten thought urgently as she sped towards Konoha. _Damn! Where the hell did he go, that neither Lee nor I could find him!?_ Her eyes narrowed as she remembered the entire incident.

Flashback:

_Tenten watched as Neji froze, hand pulled back, prepared to deliver the final blow. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and then widened in panic as he turned and started towards her instead. _

_"Neji, what the hell are you doing!?" she cried. Neji couldn't seem to hear her. He continued advancing. He attacked. Tenten evaded. Neji attacked again. This time it was a very near miss. Tenten gasped. _

_"Lee!" she yelled. "Help me!" Lee whirled around to face Neji and jumped between the Hyuuga and Tenten, throwing a weak punch at Neji, not meant to hurt, only to delay. Neji avoided it easily and continued his attack. Lee was getting slightly distressed. As good as he was, he was not able to beat Neji. Only hold his own against him for a while. _

_"Tenten! Kill him!" he screamed, gesticulating wildly at the fallen Mist nin. Tenten whipped around to face him. The shinobi's eyes widened and Neji turned to stop Tenten, leaving Lee. The ebon haired shinobi took advantage of Neji's; or rather the Mist shinobi's mistake. He charged at full speed; well, with the weights on of course, which was still pretty damn fast. Too fast for Neji or the shinobi to react. Lee ran at the nin and whipped out a kunai, pulling it up close to his chest. He lunged out at the panicking ninja, extending the arm that held the knife. The blade ran through the shinobi's chest, and Lee's arm followed due to the momentum. Neji stopped attacking and stumbled. Tenten backed off, still wary. Lee turned to look cautiously at the Hyuuga, eyes narrowed, hand protruding from the enemy nin's back. _

_"Neji?" he said carefully. The brunette Jounin whipped around to face him and stood long enough for Lee to see the insane glimmer in his eyes. Then, without another word, Neji performed a series of complicated seals and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Lee shouted and withdrew his bloodstained hand, dropping the kunai. Tenten had her eyes closed, trying to seek out the Hyuuga's chakra, but finding nothing. Her eyes snapped open and she turned to Lee. _

_"What the hell happened!?" she cried, dumbfounded. "What kind of jutsu was that!?" Lee shrugged, still looking around desperately for Neji. He was shocked and angered that he didn't have one shred of an idea where the Hyuuga was. That was simply degrading as a shinobi. He was also unsure of Neji's condition, which made him even more ashamed of himself. For all he knew, Neji could be bleeding to death somewhere. That one spark in the brunette's eyes had scared Lee and the fact that it didn't go away scared him even more. What had that Mist nin done to him? _

Oh, kami, Neji._ Tenten thought._ You'd better not be dead.

End flashback:

Tenten's brow creased as she neared Konoha. Her mind was working feverishly, trying to come up with reasons for his sudden and alarming disappearance. But she was no Shikamaru. She couldn't come up with strategies on a whim. And certainly not in a pinch.

Speaking of Shikamaru, Tenten wondered for the first time since Neji's disappearance how she would tell the Nara. The two geniuses had, after all, been living together for nigh on one year now. And she knew that the Nara couldn't be kept in the dark forever. Especially because she knew he would figure it out on his own anyway. And, besides that, she didn't know if Neji would come back of his own accord, if Lee would find him, or if they would need a search party. Tenten grimaced as she considered the latter possibility. As much as she hated it that seemed the most viable option. Neji hadn't been himself in any way when he had vanished. And if the way he had been acting prior was any indication the Hyuuga could be wandering the forest, maybe even another nation with absolutely no idea where he was, why he was there, or even who he was! That, very obviously, would be awful. Who knew just what kind of trouble he could get himself into if that were the case?

Eyes widening in urgency, the kunoichi sped up and hurried towards Konoha.

* * *

**Okay, this plot is plot bunny #441 from cheysuli.envy.nu, also known as yaoi bunny farm. It's a cool sight, u avid yaoi fangirls should go there. **

**Anyway, how's the fic so far? Good? Bad? Alright? Total failure? Review please and tell me if I should finish it. **

**;D**


	2. Kami?

"Kami?" Neji asked, his voice muffled against Orochimaru. "Is that my name?" Orochimaru pulled away from the boy and leaned in close to him once more.

"It's not your birth name," he said. "But you are and always were my Kami." Neji blinked confusedly, before smiling slowly. He looked at Orochimaru and simply drank in his appearance. His eyes looked so much less intimidating when the Hyuuga looked upon them in this new light. His white skin was not cold and cruel now, but light and warm. Neji, it seemed, had finally found the home he seemed to be craving in this man.

* * *

Tenten bolted through the front gates, not bothering to slow down and explain anything to the two confused shinobi watching her with perplexed looks. She kept going, her eyes on the Hokage's tower. She needed to get there. Neji needed help. Now.

"Tenten?" a confused Tsunade asked when Tenten burst through the doors to her office. The kunoichi nodded and bowed to Tsunade, calming her breath. Tsunade saw in her eyes urgency and alarm and was on her feet instantly.

"What's happened?" she asked seriously. Beside her, Shizune stood at rapt attention. Even Tonton, clutched in her arms, seemed to understand the importunateness of the situation. The little pig was silent and still as Tenten explained about the mission. About the storm. About the missing Mist nin. About the strange jutsu that made the Hyuuga lose control. About his disappearance. When she finished, Tsunade's brow was creased and her expression was thoughtful but worrisome. After what seemed like forever, she looked up at Tenten, her eyes the epitome of solemnity, her mouth in a tight line and her face pale.

"How many have you told, Tenten?" she asked. Tenten shook her head.

"No one but you, Hokage-sama," she stated. "I came directly here upon reentering the village." Tsunade looked thoughtful and then nodded.

"Good," she said. "Keep it that way for a while. Don't reveal this to anyone until I find out more about this questionable jutsu." Tenten nodded and bowed once again. Tsunade turned to Shizune.

"Shizune!" she barked. "We're going to the library. Now." Shizune nodded.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," she said. Placing Tonton on the floor beside her, the ebon haired medic nin followed Tsunade past Tenten.

Suddenly remembering something, Tenten turned quickly to the Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama," she said. "What about Shikamaru?" Tsunade stopped and froze. She thought for a moment.

"He'll figure out eventually anyway," she said to herself. Raising her voice she said, "That'll be up to you. You know Neji. Do what you think he would want of you. Use your judgment." Tenten was slightly surprised by this statement, and it took her a moment to process it. Long after the door shut and she was alone, Tenten stood there, rooted to the spot, deciding what to do.

Tsunade walked swiftly and surely to the library in the tower, going over what Tenten had said again and again. Neji was controlled by a strange jutsu and then disappeared immediately after the one controlling him died? That didn't make much sense at all. Next to none. The woman sighed. She wondered if the library would even have a record of such a jutsu. She didn't have many doubts, though. That one library alone held documents containing information on almost everything that existed in the shinobi world and otherwise. She would definitely, she reasoned, find something of use there.

"Tsunade-sama, what do you think happened?" Shizune asked. Tsunade shrugged.

"I can't be sure," she said. "This supposed jutsu sounds an awful lot like the mind control jutsu the Yamanakas are capable of. I'm not sure if there's a connection, though." Shizune nodded and thought about what Tenten had said and then tried to link it with the Yamanakas. It made sense, but it was still hazy. The medic nin was sure that the Yamanakas had nothing to do with the actual disappearance of Hyuuga Neji, but was there something that may connect them to it? Shizune and Tsunade walked in silence, both thinking the same thing.

Just what was the jutsu that could do something like that to a shinobi as skilled as Hyuuga Neji?

Back in the Hokage's office, Tenten had come to a decision. She would tell Shikamaru. He was closest to Neji aside from the Hyuuga's family, and he deserved to know as much as they. Making her resolve, the kunoichi turned and left the office to look for the Nara.

* * *

"Little Kami, do you want me to show you where you slept before you ran away?" Orochimaru gushed in a fake voice. Neji nodded, allowing his newfound guardian to lead him out of the disgusting room. Allowing the snakelike man to delude his mind even more.

As they walked through the dark hallways, some lined with torches, others not, Neji marveled at his excellent luck. Here, after having lost all of his memories, he was lucky enough to have found someone who had cared for him all of his life, and would continue to care for him! Neji couldn't suppress a smile as he thought so optimistically. There was a slight spring to his steps that Orochimaru noticed.

"Why, Kami," he exclaimed. "Are you really this happy to see me?" Neji looked up at him and nodded.

"It's been so long," the Hyuuga said. "And even now, I still don't remember everything that's happened." Orochimaru stopped and his eyes widened in mock surprise, though Neji didn't know it was mocking.

"Oh my, I forgot that!" the man hissed. "Well, before we continue, let me shed some light for you. Maybe you'll remember your life here. It was such a happy time after all." Neji nodded and was eager. He waited in quiet anticipation as Orochimaru recounted a tale that was never true.

"Well, I found you in a dreadful city that had shunned you for what you were," he began. Reaching up, he placed two fingers on Neji's forehead, for reasons the brunette boy could not fathom. He continued. "And I took pity on you. Your horrible family had bound you and gagged you and placed you in a cage that you could never escape from." Neji's eyes widened as something tugged at the back of his mind. But when he tried to grasp it, it slipped through his fingers. He swallowed and waited for Orochimaru to continue.

"I took you back here and began to raise you in ways that would've gotten me killed by your family," he said. "I was raising you to become a shinobi, but they never wanted that. They only wanted a slave. A slave that would die if he failed to do his master's bidding. A slave whose whip was embedded in his skin and was cracked without the breaking of a sweat by the master.

"But I didn't want this for you. So I raised you to resist that horrible, horrible fate and you grew and matured under my watchful eye. But then, one day, I took you back to your village of birth and you were given a taste of the whip you feared. I never intended that to happen but I was powerless to stop it. It was then that you disappeared and I lost track of you. And have been looking for you ever since. Ever since you were four years old." He stopped and Neji felt a stronger tug at the back of his mind. But he still could not grasp whatever it was that made him feel so uneasy. He shoved it aside as he looked at Orochimaru's sadistic face. An expression he mistook as kindness.

"Is that really what happened to me?" Neji asked in awe. Orochimaru creased his brows as though taking offense.

"My Kami!" he exclaimed. "You don't believe my words? Have you really come to hate me over these past few years?" Neji's eyes widened and he hastened to amend the situation. Shaking his head vigorously, the Hyuuga hurriedly said, "N-no that's not what I mean!" Orochimaru laughed and hugged Neji again, silencing the boy's attempts to clarify.

"I understand," he said. "I'm not offended in the least. And, yes, I am being truthful." Neji sighed, relieved and nodded. Orochimaru started to lead Neji onward, but the Hyuuga hesitated.

"Orochimaru-sama?" he asked reluctantly. Orochimaru turned to him, smirk in place. Neji continued. "What is the name of the village where I was born? What is the name of the clan that hated me?" Orochimaru looked at him for a moment and his smile widened. He leaned down in front of Neji and spoke in a soft whisper.

"You want to know who you really are?" he asked, barely audible, his voice chilling the air about Neji. The Hyuuga hesitated then nodded. The snake hissed softly in response.

"Very well," he began.

"Your name is Neji."

"You were born into the Hyuuga clan."

"That resides in Konohagakure Village."

* * *

"Shizune, look at this!" Tsunade yelled. Shizune was at her side instantly, looking at the document. Her eyes widened.

"So, it does have to do with—" she started.

"Yes, it does," Tsunade confirmed. "The Yamanaka clan, it seems, branches from the Gensai clan, another master of mind control jutsu. And this clan, according to the document, resides in Kirigakure." Shizune nodded, eyes still wide.

"So, then, Neji and his team must have been attacked by missing nin," she concluded. "The Gensai clan is well known and doesn't just attack random shinobi on a whim. They're just as traditional as the Hyuugas!" Tsunade nodded.

"They have a kekke genkai just as unique as the Hyuuga's as well," she said, reading further over the document clutched in her hands. "Their abilities to control one's mind far surpass that of the Yamanakas. And in some cases there are horrible after effects. Amnesia, delusion, denial and so on. That's incredible!" Shizune gasped.

"Do you suppose that Neji could be suffering from one of those after effects?" she asked incredulously. Tsunade sighed and shook her head.

"We must assume so," she said. "But we can't come to conclusions just yet." She was silent for another moment before speaking authoritatively to Shizune.

"Go bring Inoichi here," she ordered. "Now." Shizune blinked and nodded, hurrying out of the library to find Yamanaka Inoichi.

* * *

Tenten knocked hurriedly on Nara Shikaku's door. She slowed her breathing and waited patiently for the shadow wielder to open the door.

"Tenten?" he asked upon seeing who was at his stoop. "Aren't you supposed to be on some surveillance mission with the Hyuuga boy, or something?" The kunoichi shook her head.

"Where's Shikamaru?" she asked. Shikaku looked surprised.

"He's off with Chouji, doing something or other, I didn't bother asking him," he said, laziness still apparent in his voice. It was obvious where Shikamaru got it from.

"Do you know where they went?" Tenten asked, her voice still urgent. Shikaku raised his brow.

"To some hill or another," he said. "Why has something happened to Neji that Shikamaru should know about?" Tenten nodded. No point lying to the father of the most intelligent shinobi in Konoha.

"He's disappeared," she said carefully. "We can't find him and we think there might be something wrong with his mentality." Shikaku's other eyebrow shot up.

"We?" he asked. Tenten nodded.

"The Hokage, Shizune and Lee," she clarified. "Lee's still on the mission but I came back to report this. I have to ask you not to tell anyone else, though. I was only supposed to tell Shikamaru until the Hokage gave me direction to do otherwise." Shikaku understood and nodded.

"Well, I hope you find Neji," he said. "In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help?" The brunette kunoichi shook her head.

"At the moment nothing comes to mind," she said. "I need to speak with Shikamaru so I know where he stands and then I need to report back to the Hokage." The Nara nodded and Tenten turned and hurried off to find Shikamaru. Unfortunately, she did not know the genius as well as Neji or Ino or the Nara's family, so she didn't really have a clue where to start searching for him. _Damn!_ She thought. Still, better to start somewhere. And from what the deer boy's father said, he should be on a hill with Chouji. All Tenten had to do, then was look for one or the other. Easier said than done.

She quickly jumped to the top of the Hokage's tower and scanned the village, trying to find some sight that indicated where he was, but she did not have the Byakugan. She didn't have the power of enhanced sight. And right now, that sucked. Tenten sighed and continued looking around the village, squinting when she saw a figure on a hill that was so small she had almost missed it. She wasn't sure that it was Shikamaru, but it was worth a shot. Quickly, the kunoichi lept from the Hokage's tower and jumped from roof to roof, making sure to keep the tiny figure in her sight. As she got closer and closer she realized that the figure was actually two figures, sitting, or rather lying next to each other. She neared them still and their forms began to take shape. She felt a pang of relief when she saw that spiky hair kept up in that ridiculous ponytail that Neji always complained about. Shikamaru lay on the grass beside Chouji, on a hill, just as Shikaku had told her. The Akimichi had a big bag of chips and was simply devouring it. Shikamaru's position was lazy and she couldn't read his expression but she assumed that it would mimic his posture.

"Shikamaru!" she called, when they were within ear shot. The Nara grumbled something to himself and sat up lazily, fighting gravity's effects with what he believed to be too much effort. Chouji turned and waved cheerfully to Tenten. She ignored him and landed swiftly but slightly clumsily next to the Nara. Eyes wide with urgency, she attempted to catch her breath, which she had never really regained from running all the way to Konoha without pause earlier that day. Shikamaru, sensing her unease as well as noticing it in the way her hair was mussed and her clothes were still slightly stained, stood up and looked at her, waiting for her to calm.

"You're father told me you'd be out here," Tenten forced out, then pausing to splutter and gasp. Shikamaru put a hand on her back.

"You're a wreck," he observed incredulously. "What happened to you?" Tenten looked up at him.

"Never mind that!" she said urgently. "Tsunade told me to tell you." She stopped and took a deep raspy breath. The Nara waited patiently. By now, Chouji was on his feet and looking worriedly at Tenten, waiting for her to speak as the Nara was. When finally, she seemed able to, Tenten told the Nara everything about the mission in one big burst of air. It all came out in rapid fire and Chouji and Shikamaru involuntarily took a step back as soon as her voice started rising due to lack of oxygen. She finished and looked imploringly at them. The Nara was looking at her, still rather stunned at her explanation and how she chose to execute it, but was beginning to shift his attention to something else that she had actually said.

"So, Neji's missing?" he repeated. Tenten nodded.

"Tsunade told me not to tell anyone but you, though," she said. "Right now, she, Shizune, you, me, Lee, Chouji and your father are the only ones who know." Shikamaru looked serious. He nodded.

"And I guess it'll have stay that way," he said. "It'll be too troublesome if this gets out to someone like Ino or Naruto." Tenten nodded.

"Before we do anything, I think we should head back to Tsunade-sama's office to see if she came across anything interesting," she said. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Well, we don't need to get her to confirm anything," he said. "We already know the basics of the situation, and I have to say, that jutsu sounds pretty weird. A mind control jutsu? Almost sounds like a Yamanaka, don't you think?" Tenten looked thoughtful. Chouji creased his brows.

"Well, if that's true, then wouldn't it mean that Ino would know something about it?" he asked. The Nara shook his head.

"Not necessarily," he said languidly. "It could very well be a clan that branched out from the Yamanakas, or vice versa. As it is, though, I think we should talk to the Godaime about this. She may have discovered something I'm overlooking." He swiftly turned and walked away. Tenten and Chouji followed him, the former slightly confused. The Nara wasn't taking this at all as she had expected. Oh sure, she knew he wasn't going to overreact. He certainly wasn't going to rush into the Hokage's office and demand that a search party be sent out immediately. That was Naruto. Shikamaru never made rash decisions, but she expected him to show some emotion. And it disappointed and irritated her that he didn't. Especially because this attitude could be interpreted as indifference and that would imply that Neji wasn't worth worrying about. And that, Tenten knew wasn't true.

But the Nara was worrying. Very much. He was worrying, of course, for the Hyuuga's safety, but he was also worrying about the jutsu Tenten had mentioned. It sounded just like a mind control jutsu, and very similar to the one he had seen Ino use time and time again. But it was also puzzling as to why Neji had succumbed so easily. According to Tenten, the Hyuuga had attacked them without any sign of warning and didn't show any signs of resistance. And Shikamaru knew that the Hyuuga's will was strong. That combined with his powerful chakra would make it difficult even for Ino's father to take control of him. And, what was more, the shinobi who executed this jutsu was near death. Tenten had said herself that she sensed his chakra was at its end. So, how could he have had enough to perform a jutsu that powerful? It made absolutely no sense.

But, of course there was the possibility of a kekke genkai. Those were always unpredictable, and it could've been a last resort that he was waiting to use. Waiting until just before he was killed. Now that made a little more sense and seemed even plausible.

But, Shikamaru couldn't really come to any conclusions at that point. Not until he spoke to the Hokage. He scowled. He may have always been too lazy for his own good, but now, things were different. Now, Neji was at stake. And that fact alone, it seemed, could drive Nara Shikamaru to do just about anything, no matter how troublesome.

* * *

**Oh, no!! Orochimaru's poisoning Neji's mind!! Hurry Shikamaru! Come to Neji's rescue!**

**Ooh, it's Shikamaru! I need to know how his reaction was. Was it good, bad, horrible, un-Shikamaru-ish? I need reviews please!!**

**Thx u all!**


End file.
